Electrical railway signaling system



IIIIIIIIIIII IIlIIIIII F. J. MARSH.

ELECTRICAL RAILWAY SIGNALING SYSTEM.

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F. J. MARSH.

ELECTRICAL RAILWAY SIGNALING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I2, 1916.

Patented Aug. 26, 1919.

[- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- LhumA 14 3 ,3 vcnLF z/ Jv a abl'o bwoqd FRANCIS J. MARSH, 0F GILL, KANSAS.

ELECTRICAL RAILWAY SIGNALING SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 26, 1. 919.

Application filed February 12, 1916. Serial No. 77,825.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Francis J. Mansn, a" citizen of the United States, residing at Gill, county of Logan, and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Railway Signaling Systems, of which the following is a spec fication.

My invention relates to improvements in electric railway signaling systems and more particularly to a system designed to overcome the danger of collision of trains on the curves of single track electric railways.

A further object of my invention is to provide a system of the character mentioned which shall be simple of construction and eflicient in operation. Other objects will appear hereinafter.

IVith these objects in view my invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts which Will be hereinafter fully described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which,

Figure 1 is a plan view showing the general arrangement of the signaling mechanism,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a car showing an operatin arm projecting from the trolley pole thereo Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively a top plan view and a side elevation of a circuit-breaker employed in the system, and Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively a top plan view and a side elevation of a circuit-closer.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 designates an ordinary electric car and 2 the trolley pole thereof. Projecting laterally from the trolley pole 2 is an arm 3 carrying a shoe 4: the purpose of which will be hereinafter disclosed. Circuits 5 are supplied with current from batteries 6. A signal 7 is provided in each circuit which consists of an ordinary incandescent lamp of suitable color. The circuit closer used 111 each circuit is mounted upon a pole 8 arranged adjacent the car track and the circuit-breaker is mounted upon the pole 9, said poles being shown in detail in Figs. 4 and 6. The circuit closer comprises a magnet 10 which is mounted upon the pole 8 so that its axis is in a horizontal plane. Pivoted to the electro-ma'gnet 10 is a magnet armature 11 which is held in the normally open or dotted line position by means of the helical tension spring 19., as clearly shown in Fig. The armature 6 is insulated from the electromagnetlO by means of an insulating block 12, said armature being in the form of a bell crank, as shown in Fig. 5. The free end of the armature 11 is provided with a yieldable U-shaped contact member 13 which is-adapted to contact with ansimilarmember 14; when the armature is in the closed position.

The circuit'breaker which is mounted upon the pole 9 comprises a swinging arm 15 which is pivoted to the vertical member 16, the latter being electrically insulated from the pole 9 by means of the insulating block 17. The arm 15 is normally held in contact with the projection 18 and is held in such position by gravity. Thus the Contact members in the circuit-breaker are normally closed.

In operation, when a car 1 approaches the curve of the track the shoe 1 contacts with and closes the armature 11 which operation closes the contacts 13 and 14 thus completing the circuit. The magnet 10 is now energized and holds the armature 11 in the closed position against the resistance of the spring 12. The signal 7 will now glow until the car reaches the circuit-breaker when the shoe 4, which travels in the dotted line path 19, will contact with and raise the arm 15 into the dotted line position, as shown in Fig. 1, thus momentarily breaking the circuit. The magnet 10 will now be deenergized when the armature 11 will be restored to its normal or open position by the action of the spring 12.

The car enters the block of the signal when the shoe 4 contacts with the armature 11 and leaves said block when said shoe has passed the arm 15.

It is apparent that the above described system is simple and, due to its small number of parts, is easily maintained in proper working order.

While I have shown what I deem to be the preferable form of my improved signaling system, I do not wish to be limited thereto as there might be various changes made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts described without departing from the spirit of my invention, and hence I desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: s

1. In a railway electrical signaling system, a normally open single circuit, a circuit closer and a circuit breaker in saidcircuit and an arm projecting from a trolley pole adapted for successively actuating the same, said circuit closer comprising a magnet armature pivotally mounted on a vertical axis, a magnet in the circuit and contacts on said magnet and armature, and a spring for normally holding the armature in open position, said magnet being energizedupon closing of said contacts, substantially as described. I

2. In a railway electrical signaling system, a normally "open single circuit, a circuit Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing Washington, D. 0. v v V connected in said circuit, and the latter being adapted to be normally engaged by said arm, substantially as described; 1n testimony'whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

, V Y FRANCIS, J. MARSH. Witnesses: V f GRANT-PR'ENTIGE,

FRANK M. THAXTON.

the Commissioner of Patents, 

